FISH. 165 



and dipped in grated bread-crumbs or Indian meal, and fried 

 in hot lard. 



Small sturgeons are considered nicest for the table, and 

 tbe tail-piece or the piece next the tail is to be preferred ; 

 but whether baked or boiled, a rich sauce should be pre- 

 pared, as the sturgeon is a dry fish. The skin should, for 

 these dishes, be nicely scraped, and in sturgeon cutlets or 

 steaks, the skin should be removed. 



SHELL-FISH. 



Shell-fish cannot always be taken upon delicate stomachs, 

 yet where they sit easily, and are relished, they are said to 

 neutralize acidity in the stomach more readily and complete- 

 ly than any other animal food. 



The order Molluscans afford a great variety of food to 

 man. Here are found the common clam, mussel, cockle, peri- 

 winkle, and a species of the snail genus, much relished by 

 the Romans, and to this day fattened and eaten by the 

 French, and by them called the Escargot ; here, too, is the 

 Escallop, whose shells are often used for skimming milk; 

 and last, but not least, here is found the Oyster, which, as an 

 article of food, has always been in request. 



Among the Crustaceans we have the crab, the lobster, the 

 cray-fish, or thorny lobster, much valued by the French, 

 and called by them Langouste, but which is but an inferior 

 kind of lobster, prawns, shrimps, and fresh- water cray-fish. 



Here, as the most convenient place, I shall also briefly 

 mention the few animals among the class of Reptiles that 

 yield food to man, the turtle, terrapin, and frog. 



OYSTERS. 



The oyster is found on the coasts of Europe, America, 

 Asia, and Africa. They seldom leave the rocks or substances 

 upon which they fasten themselves. " Like other Molluscans," 



